Interior Alaska News

U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, along with Congressman Nick Begich III, have criticized the Department of the Interior (DOI) for its handling of a lease sale in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge's Coastal Plain. The sale ended without any bids, an outcome they attribute to restrictions imposed by the DOI.

The lease sale was announced in December after changes were made to the Coastal Plain oil and gas program. These changes reportedly made development unfeasible. According to Senator Murkowski, "the 'lack of interest' in this lease sale was an intended consequence of this administration’s efforts to make any development in the Coastal Plain economically unfeasible."

Senator Sullivan expressed similar sentiments, stating that President Joe Biden and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland aimed "to illegally shut down any chance of developing ANWR." He further criticized the administration for canceling leases from a previous sale and for not considering the interests of Alaska Native people living on the Coastal Plain.

Congressman Begich echoed these criticisms, arguing that making a lease sale uneconomic shows a lack of good faith from the federal government. He emphasized that Alaskan lands should be managed by Alaskans.

The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act established an oil and gas program for ANWR's Coastal Plain, mandating at least two lease sales by December 2024. Despite this mandate, recent actions by the Biden administration have introduced uncertainty into future leasing efforts.

The delegation also criticized the administration's relaxation of sanctions on countries like Iran and Venezuela, suggesting these actions undermine global security while limiting domestic resource development.